The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system including the image forming apparatus, and a setting method for the image forming apparatus. The present invention also relates to a computer-readable medium storing a program and mounted in the image faulting apparatus.
A general image forming apparatus has a function to perform printing on an elongated printing medium such as a rolled label sheet based on a print job received from an information processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus. Such an image forming apparatus includes an operation panel that allows a user to set a size of the printing medium, a printing area on the printing medium or the like (i.e., a sheet setting).
Further, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-208418 discloses a printer having a function to perform printing on an elongated printing sheet. When the printer detects that no printing sheet is set therein, the printer becomes capable of receiving an update command of sheet setting information from an external device. When the printer receives the update command, the printer updates the sheet setting information based on the update command. After the printer detects that the printing sheet is set therein, the printer carries the printing sheet, and determines whether the printing sheet matches the sheet setting information. When the printing sheet (for example, a rolled sheet) is replaced with a printing medium of a different kind, the printer can update the sheet setting information based on the update command sent from the external device, without causing a sheet mismatch error.
The general image forming apparatus outputs an error notification indicating a mismatch between sheet sizes or the like, when the sheet setting of the image forming apparatus and the sheet setting sent from the information processing apparatus do not match each other. In order to solve the error and restore the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to replace the printing sheet.
Particularly, in the image forming apparatus configured to perform printing on an elongated printing sheet such as a rolled label sheet, various kinds of printing sheets may be set. Therefore, it is necessary to update the sheet setting of the image forming apparatus every time the printing sheet is set in the image forming apparatus. If there is no other way than replacing the printing sheet to recover the image forming apparatus from the error, operability may be poor.
For example, the image forming apparatus configured to perform printing on the rolled label sheet has a large number of setting items such as a size, a kind and a thickness of the label sheet. The setting items also include, for example, an interval of the label sheets, a method for detecting a leading edge of the label sheet, a width of a base sheet, and a distance between the label sheet and the base sheet. The image forming apparatus may be provided with a sensor for detecting the printing sheet. However, some setting items are difficult to automatically detect. Therefore, when a user replaces the rolled label sheet, it is necessary for the user to update the sheet setting using an operation panel of the image forming apparatus.
Therefore, there may be a case where a user fails to update the sheet setting upon replacing the rolled label sheet, and where the user performs printing while specifying the correct sheet setting using a printer driver. In such a case, the sheet setting of the new label sheet and the sheet setting specified using the printer driver match each other. However, the sheet setting (which is not updated) of the image forming apparatus does not match the sheet setting specified using the printer driver, and therefore a sheet mismatch error may occur.
Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus configured to perform printing on a rolled sheet such as a rolled label sheet, printing may be terminated in a state where the rolled sheet is left uncut in the image forming apparatus. In such a case, the image forming apparatus may be driven to perform printing (i.e., forced printing) while ignoring the sheet mismatch error so as not to reduce operability. However, if printing is performed in a state where the sheet setting of the rolled sheet (left in the image forming apparatus) do not match the sheet setting of the image forming apparatus, a printing failure may occur.
In this regard, the printer disclosed by the above described publication updates the sheet setting information based on the update command sent from the external device. However, it is necessary for a user to take out the rolled sheet from the printer, send the update command to the printer from the external device, and mount a new rolled sheet to the printer. There is a possibility that a user may fail to follow this procedure.